Vote early, vote often and vote again for Greater Canandaigua Civic Center

Wednesday

Feb 7, 2018 at 6:24 PMFeb 7, 2018 at 6:24 PM

The ice arena moves on to the next round in quest for $50,000 lighting upgrade

By Mike Murphy mmurphy@messengerpostmedia.com

CANANDAIGUA — It’s on to the next round in the quest for a $50,000 lighting upgrade at the Greater Canandaigua Civic Center.

Enough supporters voted to push the nonprofit ice arena into the next round of the Light Like the Pros contest put on by the American Hockey League and power management company Eaton. The rink finished in fourth place, according to the contest website, behind arenas in Sunbury, Pennsylvania; Beaver Dam, Wisconsin; and Stockton, California. Six others also qualified for the next round, which involves more voting. People can vote once a day right up until the conclusion of this round on March 2, according to David Korpiel, executive director of the Civic Center.

This time, the center has to finish in the top four. The goal is 10,000 votes.

“We’re shooting high,” Korpiel said. “We have to do it one more time. Every vote counts.”

The Civic Center is home to school and youth hockey teams and is used for open skates, figure skating, arts and crafts shows and other events in the offseason.

The upgrade would mean replacing fluorescent lights with LED lighting.

George Herren, a former member of the Civic Center’s board of directors, said this would be a huge benefit for a facility that’s used regularly by the public.

“$50,000 is nothing to sneeze at,” Herren said.

Should the Civic Center finish in the top four after the voting ends March 2, a two-week round of votes will be held. The winner will be determined by vote totals and an essay submitted as part of the contest.

Korpiel said he is encouraged by the enthusiasm shown by those in the skating and hockey communities, which has spread out into the community at large as more people learn about the contest.

“We’re coming together as a community,” Korpiel said. “It’s wonderful to me.”